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The climate phenomenon called El Niño has arrived for the first time in five years, and with it could come a decrease in the upcoming season's risk of hurricanes. El Niño is a rise in the temperature of the central Pacific Ocean, a phenomenon with global impact, influencing rainfall, snow, seasonal temperatures and storms. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Thursday that El Niño had arrived, although it was "weak" and "widespread or significant global weather pattern impacts are not anticipated." An El Niño typically leads to more tropical storms in the Pacific and fewer in the Atlantic, which would mean a less...

Related "National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration" Articles

The climate phenomenon called El Niño has arrived for the first time in five years, and with it could come a decrease in the upcoming season's risk of hurricanes.El Niño is a rise in the temperature of the central Pacific Ocean, a phenomenon...

The Deep Space Climate Observatory, or DSCOVR for short, has an important task: Calculate how much energy is being trapped in the Earth's atmosphere by greenhouse gases.
That, in turn, will provide a pretty clear picture the climate change situation - as...

And you thought all NOAA does is track hurricanes.
Turns out, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - parent agency of the National Hurricane Center and the National Weather Service - is pretty handy with a measuring stick.
Actually, it...

In 1854, six years before the Civil War, the U.S. government first mapped the South Florida coastline, primarily to mark the depth of shoreline waters and prevent ships from breaking up on rocks.
The map didn't show much other than obscure landmarks such...

Many people still don't buy into global warming, despite mounting scientific evidence that it's for real.
Among the loudest skeptics is Marc Morano, publisher of Climate Depot, who proclaims the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is “conning...

Biscayne Bay's popularity with boaters and fisherman has taken a toll on sensitive marine life, prompting authorities to consider tighter restrictions.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration plans to develop a comprehensive conservation...

With the Earth warming to record levels, it might seem like El Niño should be a permanent fixture – and knock down hurricanes every year.The large-scale atmospheric pattern develops as a result of abnormal warming in the eastern Pacific – and...

Whether humans are at fault or not, one thing is for sure: This planet is heating up at a distressing rate.
Indeed, 2014 was the Earth’s warmest year on record, dating back to 1880, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported.
Some...

Did you know that it snows – frequently – not all that far from South Florida? But it’s not the usual white flakes that fall from the sky.
We’re talking about ocean snow, or the dead and decaying plants and animals that drift from near the surface to the...

Remember Hal, the naughty computer in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey? Well, two government supercomputers are about to become scary too – scary powerful, that is.
By this October, the supercomputers operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric...

Hurricanes, tornadoes and thunderstorms aren't the only systems that cause trouble.
Solar storms, or major flare-ups on the surface of the sun, can blast the Earth with magnetic energy and disrupt everything from telecommunications to GPS systems.
To...

There are so many big, powerful computers these days.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently upgraded its supercomputer to handle 213 trillion calculations per second - to allow more accurate weather forecasts, including improved...

Sounds a bit like a James Bond movie: A low-key laboratory on Virginia Key in Miami now can receive signals from polar orbiting satellites as they pass overhead.
But there’s no evil plot to take over the world involved.
Rather, the installation is the...

Another uneventful season in the books.
"Relatively quiet," is how the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration described it in a postmortem, adding, "as was predicted."
For Florida, that means the season won't be remembered...

When it comes to hurricane predictions, numbers don't matter.
For months before hurricane season, and all through the summer and early fall, you hear numbers and predictions.
There will be more hurricanes this year. There will be fewer hurricans this...

South Florida's coral reefs are about to get Google-mapped, sort of.
Government scientists this month used new high-tech cameras to shoot a 360-degree view of the ocean in the Florida Keys. The goal: to map and then track coral reefs to see if...

Top hurricane forecasters launched a five-city tour Monday, riding in a WP-3 Orion turboprop. Their mission: urge Gulf Coast residents to brace for the upcoming storm season.
"The United States was spared from a hurricane last year, but that does...

When a storm appears on the horizon, people try to get as much information as possible.Here are websites and apps to help you track storms and learn more about preparations.Forecasts:National Hurricane Center, nhc.noaa.gov – This is your first stop if you...

That milky haze filling South Florida's skies, courtesy of Saharan dust that drifted all the way from Africa, should linger through Thursday.
That's a good — and not-so good — thing.
While it poses no serious health threat, it has hurt air quality,...

After pounding through 183 hurricanes over the past 38 years, two Lockheed WP-3 Orion turboprops are almost ready for the junk heap.Yet new hurricane hunters could cost a prohibitive $300 million.Thanks to Hurricane Sandy, the National Oceanic and...